1. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

2. Story brought to life through theater Dependent on nonverbal elements (movement/gesture/facial expressions) for meaning Public experience for viewer Benefits of Plays/Drama

3. Construct a story to catch, hold, and reward attention of audience Construct characters the audience can become emotional about Give characters something vital at stake Trials of Drama

4. Conflict External conflict: person vs. outside force Internal conflict: person vs. self Protagonist: major character who wants something and drives plot forward Usually (not always) the “good guy” Exposition Background information about setting and characters given at the beginning of a play Audience participation = brings play to life (not a term, but something you need to know.) Dramatic Terms

5. Early 1900s Removed the “fourth wall” for audiences to get a realistic look at characters’ lives Fourth wall = metaphorical wall that would otherwise separate the audience from the stage, keeping us from seeing the story Revolt against commercial theater, traditional storylines Characters dealt with realistic issues American Realist Drama

6. More theatrical, fewer constraints complex sets, special effects, complex scripts, etc. Playwrights have more freedom to express themselves Theater Today: A Revolt Against Realism

7. Miller = “Playwright of our social conscience” Emphasized moral issues Married to Marilyn Monroe (fun fact!) “Crucible” Definitions a container made of a substance that can resist great heat the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace where the molten metal collects A severe test or trial Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

8. Surface level: Salem Witch Trials Group of young girls in 1692 began to behave strangely Doctors determined they were bewitched and the girls named townspeople of Salem, MA as witches 8 months: 150 imprisoned 27 convicted, 19 hanged, 1 pressed to death, 50 confessed, over 100 imprisoned and awaiting trial Storyline

9. Allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare of the 1950s. Joseph McCarthy (WI Senator 1946-1957) accused gov. officials, members of the media, celebrities, etc. of having Communist ties and sympathies Artists and professionals (actors, playwrights, authors, journalists, politicians, etc.) were often blacklisted following accusations Red Scare often referred to as a “witch hunt” McCarthy influence declined after accusing the secretary of the Navy, led to questioning of McCarthy’s tactics and motives “Real” Meaning

10. Personal vs. public lives Conflict between self and community Mass hysteria/mob mentality (real thing) Power of terror, unknown drives people to extreme behavior/actions Themes